Shabana Azmi received Lifetime Achievement Award at The Chicago South Asian Film Festival
Chicago IL: The Chicago South Asian Film Festival Brings the Best of Independent South Asian Cinema to Chicago for 8 Years Running Three-Day Festival of Dynamic Film Selections, Intimate Film Discussions with Filmmakers and Talent, and Blockbuster Events.
The Chicago South Asian Film Festival (CSAFF) held between September 29th and October 1st, 2017, presented 44 films across three venues in downtown Chicago and Oakbrook.
Close to 2000 film goers attended the in-competition films and various events in and around the City of Chicago. Opening night, on September 29th, featured a Red Carpet at the Oakbrook AMC, attended by Shabana Azmi, Aparna Sen, Rajkummar Rao, Adeel Hussain and Akshay Oberoi. There were 55 artists and film makers who represented their work and films in the festival from across the globe.
Ms. Azmi was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award and Rajkummar Rao received the SAFA Award. The Opening Night film was Newton, India's official entry to the 2018 Oscars. After three full days of films and intimate Q&A sessions with filmmakers and actors, the Chicago South Asian Film Festival closed on October 1st with an awards ceremony. Awards were presented for the best short feature, short documentary, feature documentary and feature films, as chosen by our dynamic and diverse audience.The winners in each category respectively were Maya, the Survivor, Many Rivers Home, and You Are My Sunday.
Each of these films highlighted various facets of the South Asian experience. The Survivor, for instance, highlighted the story of one young boy who survived the 2014 Taliban attacks on a school in Pakistan. The winner of the best feature film award, You Are My Sunday, is a light-hearted journey of self-rediscovery as a group of friends search for a space to call their own. Other winning films - Many rivers home examines the ties that bind South Asian families in a Lower Mainland seniors' residence and Maya is all about young screen writer and his struggles, drawing from reality or fiction, he lines up his half-baked ideas in the confines of his lonely home.
Our arts-conscious sponsors include DePaul University, Counsel General of India Chicago, Bank of America, BRaja, Oakbrook AMC, Village of Oakbrook, Air Tours, Showplace Icon theater, Hyatt Regency, Lakhani Hospitality, Shree Foods, Somrus, Raaz, Pepsi, Festival Vibe, TV Asia, Rahul Rana Photography, Events by C, Events by Nisar, Meher Dance Company and Air India.
The Chicago South Asian Film Festival is dedicated to fostering a diverse cinematic experience through South Asian films. The Festival was founded in 2010 and is organized by the Chicago South Asian Arts Council Inc. The Festival includes a stellar selection of films and guests, panel discussions, opportunities for filmmakers and film lovers to connect, musical performances, tributes to major artists and galas. The Festival introduced the South Asian Films in America (SAFA) Awards, an Award honoring South Asian Films and Artists exclusively in Chicago. Our audience is the largest growing ethnic group in America, particularly Chicagoland, and the Festival is committed to providing a groundbreaking cinematic experience for filmmakers and moviegoers alike with the warmth and personal touch that is unique to Chicago.